This Blog is for players and collectors of traditional War Games. It provides information and commentary about older board games from publishers such as TAHGC, SPI, and GDW. Most of the titles discussed here are out of print and available only in the resale market. Still, I hope that the various posts, game descriptions, book reviews, critiques, and other hobby-related material that I present are of interest to those players who still appreciate and play some of the older “classic” games.

Back on November 16th, I published a brief description of what I understood then to be the preliminary details of a soon-to-start PBeM STALINGRAD Tournament. At the time of my initial post, the final format and rules for this tournament were still being sorted out among those members of the Consimworld STALINGRAD Forum community who were most interested in seeing this project actually get off the ground. This is no longer the case: The final guidelines for the tournament have now all been agreed upon and cardboard combat for the STALINGRAD PBeM championship is set to begin in about two weeks. At present, there are more than a dozen confirmed tournament entrants; however, for those visitors to "Map and Counters" who might be interested in taking part in this unique PBeM event, TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN. That being said, I invite anyone who would like to participate — whatever their experience level — to follow the link at the bottom of this post and to contact the tournament's Game Master, Joseph Angiolillo, about entering what has, somewhat belatedly, been rechristened The 50th Anniversary Tournament of STALINGRAD. And the best part of it all — given economic conditions here and overseas — is that there is no entry fee: tournament participation will be free to all comers!

After being exiled from the tournament scene for over three decades, the "grand daddy" of all East Front war games, STALINGRAD is finally slated to make its long overdue comeback. This classic Avalon Hill title — designed by Charles Roberts, and developed by Tom Shaw and Lindsley Schutz — has, since its introduction in 1963, long been a favorite of many of the hobby's grognards; however, in recent years, it has also enjoyed a modest rebound in popularity among a small, but growing crop of newer players both in the US and abroad. Thus, it is completely fitting that, in two weeks time, both old and new STALINGRAD enthusiasts from all over the globe will again have the opportunity to fight it out on the classic game's instantly-recognizable blue and white map board. I can't be sure, but I suspect that each and every one of these different players — whether they admit it or not — will, like me, be competing in this tournament for exactly the same thing: to win it all; and, by so doing, to become the undisputed champion of a very special commemorative event, the 50th Anniversary STALINGRAD PBeM Tournament. And even without the "Anniversary" cachet, this tournament, in my view, is a gaming opportunity that simply should not be missed by anyone with even a passing interest in this venerable, but still challenging, game of warfare on the Russian Front.

And now, for those of my readers who would like additional information, a few tournament particulars ...

Thanks to the yeoman efforts of Brian Britton and Joe Angiolillo (as well as many others), this "landmark" competitive event will officially start on 15 December. The early round "match pairings" will be organized according to a two-tiered (novices versus novices; experts versus experts) "Swiss" style tournament format. The advantage of this type of arrangement — for those who are unfamiliar with "Swiss" style competitions — is that, unlike "single-elimination" tournaments, in a "Swiss" tournament setting, a player can suffer a defeat during the early rounds of play and still battle back to win a berth in the final four. In addition, the "two-tiered" approach guarantees that players who are relatively new to the game will not be "over-faced" during their early match-ups. By starting out this way, it is hoped that newer players will have an opportunity to garner some valuable tournament experience before they have to go up against one of the more seasoned veterans in the later rounds.

Of special interest — both to those of us who have been involved with wargaming since the fifties and sixties, and to those younger gamers who have developed an interest in the history of the hobby — is the fact that this tournament (hat tip again to Joe Angiolillo) has received the personal endorsement of the lead developer of STALINGRAD, wargaming icon: Thomas Shaw. In fact, as a sign of his support for this project, Tom has volunteered to autograph the souvenir "awards" certificates that will go to the top four tournament finishers. Moreover, as an added incentive to participants for them to play their best game in this competition, the tournament champion, along with a "first place" certificate, will also receive a plaque commemorating his or her victory in this "once in a lifetime" 50th Anniversary STALINGRAD PBeM Tournament.

Finally, to actually register for this "historic" wargaming event, prospective participants (both inside and outside the US) are encouraged to contact the Tournament Game Master, Joe Angiolillo, as soon as possible at the email address listed below; also, for those of my readers who are seriously considering participating in the tournament but who would like to obtain a copy of the "Official 50th Anniversary STALINGRAD Tournament Rules so that they can look them over before deciding, a ".PDF" link has been provided at the bottom of this post.

About Me

I am an Army veteran of the Viet Nam War who retired from a career as a horse trainer and riding instructor in 2006. Since the late 1960’s, I have been an amateur student of military history, and an avid collector and player of traditional (map and counters) war games. Over the years, I have competed in a number of board gaming tournaments, and have won two WBC Championship titles in Afrika Korps, and five in Waterloo. Besides war games and history, my other interests include veterans’ affairs and Poker.
I presently live with my wife of over thirty years in Phoenix, Arizona. I am a graduate of Reed College and formerly attended graduate school at Arizona State University.